E-mail this article

Sending your article

A Watertown man will bicycle 500 miles along the California coast next month in the name of helping kids with cancer.

Photo: Pablove Foundation

Watertown resident Bill Begien

Bill Begien, a Manchester native and current Watertown resident, will be one of 40 riders to cycle from the Bay area to Los Angeles over 6 days in October to raise money for the Pablove Foundation. The organization was started in memory of six-year-old Pablo Thrailkill Castelaz, who died in 2009 from a rare form of cancer.

Begien has been riding bikes and participating in triathlons for 14 years, but the 500-mile trek next month will be the most challenging event he has ever ridden, according to a statement.

The fifth annual Pablove Across America event runs from Oct. 6 through Oct. 12, and the 40 cyclists signed up for the event will aim to raise a collective $250,000. Riders have raised over $1.5 million in the previous four events -- one of which included a route starting in Boston and spanning to Raleigh.

Professional bicyclists have previously participated in the ride, including Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, and Christian and John Vande Velde, according to the foundation.

For more information on the organization or the 500-mile event, visit the foundation's website.